Producer
Alfred Lion was very impressed when he attended John Hammond's Spirituals to Swing concert of Dec. 23, 1938, which had introduced boogie woogie pianists
Albert Ammons and
Meade Lux Lewis to New York audiences. Two weeks later, he started the Blue Note label by recording nine
Ammons solos, eight by
Lewis, and a pair of heated duets during a single day. All of the music (except an untitled original by
Meade Lux Lewis slated to be issued by Blue Note in the future) is on this single CD.
Ammons, the more forceful (relatively speaking) of the two pianists, generally takes honors, but there are plenty of rewarding performances, including
Lewis' five-part "The Blues,"
Ammons' "Boogie Woogie Stomp," and their duet on "Nagasaki." Highly recommended to collectors who do not already own Mosaic's more extensive three-LP limited-edition
Ammons/
Lewis set. ~ Scott Yanow